Hindustan Times ST (Mumbai) - HT Navi Mumbai Live

‘Don’t ignore state’s Covid-19 situation’

- Swapnil Rawal swapnil.rawal@hindustant­imes.com

MUMBAI: Leader of Opposition in Assembly Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday wrote to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, seeking her “attention” to the state, which is ruled by a coalition of three parties, including hers.

Fadnavis said that the Covid-19 pandemic situation in Maharashtr­a is the worst and that her party should not indulge in politics or create a negative atmosphere and must instead play the role of a constructi­ve Opposition in the Centre, like his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is doing in the state.

The four-page letter comes following Gandhi’s suggestion­s to Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi over the handling of the second wave of Covid-19 in the country. Fadnavis said that though questions have been raised on the Central government’s handling of the outbreak, one cannot ignore the situation in Maharashtr­a either. “As on May 13, of the total cases in the country, 22% came from Maharashtr­a. The state still contribute­s to nearly 31% fatalities. If we talk about the active cases in the country, 14% are from Maharashtr­a… you would agree that if the situation in the state improves faster, then the load on the country’s machinery would reduce,” he wrote.

The former chief minister further said that though Maharashtr­a

is not ruled by BJP, the Centre has stood with the state and provided it with the maximum help in terms relief and other equipment. Fadnavis also alleged that the state government has reduced testing in Mumbai, even as rapid antigen tests form a considerab­le chunk of the total tests conducted.

“The deaths due to Covid-19 are hidden. While other districts in the state account to 0.8% of deaths in the ‘deaths due to other reason’ category, Mumbai has 40% deaths... In 2020, 9,603 deaths had been hidden,” Fadnavis alleged, and added that in rural areas, neither beds nor treatment are available in hospitals.

Responding to the allegation­s, state Congress president Nana Patole said the letter is an attempt to deviate attention from the failure of the Centre and that Fadnavis should show the “courage to write a letter to Modi, who has turned the country into a cremation ground”. On Fadnavis’s allegation on Mumbai, Patole said the Centre and the Niti Aayog have also praised the ‘Mumbai model’.

 ??  ?? Devendra Fadnavis.
Devendra Fadnavis.

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